Zdoom (IRC channel)

#zdoom is a Doom community general discussion channel, not officially related to any project, nor specifically related to ZDoom. It is currently one of the most populated Doom-related IRC channel, averaging approximately 50 users at any given time.

Origins

 * 1) zdoom was originally created on the Freenode network by Kurt Kesler as a private editing-related channel. Tensions in the #doomroom channel involving James "Quasar" Haley and the other channel operators caused him and many other regulars to question the way the channel was run. #zdoom was advertised as an alternative to #doomroom, and gained much of the latter channel's regular members. The #doomroom operators involved in the disagreement soon moved to their own private network.

Freenode controversy
During the channel's existence on the Freenode network, Kesler was sometimes unable to gracefully handle the channel's more rambunctious members. His frustration resulted in ownership of the channel being passed between him and Quasar a number of times. Throughout 2002 and the first half of 2003, some users were complaining that channel operators were abusing their privileges.

On June 25 2003, Kesler got tired of the channel and dropped its ChanServ registration. Stephen "SoM" McGranahan then re-registered the channel, removed the operators of their status, and dropped the registration again, leaving the channel without operators and nearly impossible to re-register. After several people complained to Freenode's IRC operators, Freenode network administrator dmwaters took responsibility for the channel. She stated that in order for the off-topic channel to remain on the network, it would have to follow Freenode's channel guidelines, remove auto-opped users, and tone down the language and sexual references.

Exactly one month later, dmwaters closed the channel, stating that several people requested that she do so. Other mitigating factors were a lack of respect for Freenode's channel guidelines, particular users driving away her channel staff, and that the channel was making her, as the founder, "misserable" [sic].

Bill "Bloodshedder" Koch had registered the channel #zdoom on the OFTC IRC network in April of 2003, but an early campaign to migrate users to that network was unsuccessful. After the channel on Freenode was closed, nearly all of its former regulars eventually relocated to OFTC.

Current status

 * 1) zdoom remains active. Most IRC community members idle there but most have taken to using other more specialized channels for extended discussions. Much of the discussion has been largely political in nature since 2014, including but not limited to extended, sometimes heated debates on gun control, censorship, surveillance, and world conflicts. The formerly dedicated #doomtwid has eclipsed it in the size of user base and in terms of active on-topic discussion.

Although many channel regulars are also members of the Doomworld forums, the two entities have no official connection.

External link

 * #zdoom